Penny Aguirre

She attributes her success to being deeply anchored in integrity and a steadfast belief in equal access to education for all. Growing up and working in South Mississippi, she has witnessed firsthand how many schools lack the resources needed to provide equitable opportunities, especially for underprivileged children. This reality has fueled her mission to help close that gap and advocate for every child's right to learn and thrive. Even without a formal teaching position at the moment, she continues to pour into her community through youth organizations and dedicated service work. Her passion for education, unwavering dedication, and intellectual curiosity as a lifelong learner have guided her journey and growth. She believes that learning never stops and strives to inspire that same mindset in others. Her impact is rooted not just in what she teaches, but in how she shows up with purpose and heart. She also prioritizes balance, finding restoration through nature, walking, and gardening. These practices allow her to remain grounded and consistently show up as her most authentic and energized self.

The best career advice I've received is, 'To whom much is given, much is required.' I first heard this in church growing up here in the South, and it really hit me. I was the valedictorian in my class, on the Dean's List and President's List, in Honor Society, and all that. I've always loved learning, and I am smart, and I work hard. I believe it's important to develop those intellectual gifts, and I believe it's a gift. Since it is a gift, I find it necessary and responsible to develop it and share it every time I can. Of course, I love it, so that's pretty easy to do.

I think if someone had told me this, if they had tried to help me see myself as powerful, helped me see how powerful I was as a young woman educator and a young leader, that would have really helped me so much. But I didn't feel powerful, and I was not always allowed to have a seat at the table, or at least I didn't feel welcome at the table. I didn't even know how to get to the table. I didn't have a lot of access. But we, as women, are very, very strong, and the things that happen around us are because we allow them and facilitate them. No one told me that, and so I just thought that I was just playing my role. But actually, that's not true, and I just didn't know that. Now I know that it's not just a song lyric, girls rule the world. They do.

One of the biggest challenges in Mississippi's education system is addressing disparities in resources and ensuring equitable access to quality education for all students. Many schools, particularly in underserved communities, face limitations that impact both teaching and learning outcomes. We're so far, we're so close to the bottom that there are lots of opportunities. A lot of people here are abandoning the public school system, and the voucher system is really sort of taking hold, even though it's a horrible idea. I'm a product of public education, and I think it's a social good, and I think that we need to support it. There's a lot of division here, and a lot of it is racially driven, so we have a lot of white parents who just won't send their children to public school now because they believe that it's somehow lower quality for them. One of my goals for my city is to try to help integrate it somehow, because we still have segregated Chamber of Commerce, Main Street activities, white businesses and black businesses, white churches and black churches. It's not helpful, it's not profitable, it's not economically sound, it's not socially or educationally sound. That's one of my goals for where I live, to help us move forward into a more prosperous and realistic relationship with each other, because what we're doing right now is not effective, and it's hurting all of us.

I value empowerment, inclusion, and tolerance as the foundation of both my work and personal life. My mantra is, you shall know someone by their fruits. Talk is cheap. You know someone by their actions and how they treat other people. I believe in non-judgment, because we've got enough of that going on, and none of us are really qualified to do that for other people, barely qualified to do it for ourselves. We're all sort of wandering around in this human experience trying to figure things out, so we should be kind to each other, and we should be accepting of each other, and we should realize that we're all kind of in the same boat. Kindness and honesty guide how I connect with others and build meaningful relationships. My strong sense of commitment keeps me focused and dependable in all that I do. Dedication drives me to continually grow and make a positive impact. Together, these values shape how I show up each day with purpose and intention.